Folding card table



March 12, 1957 w, G. BRYANT FOLDING CARD TABLE Filed Nov. 9, 1955 INVENTOR. W/LL /AM G. BRYANT /E/GLS A TTORNEVS Y 3 36 until the two toggle members 22 assume a substantially co-linear or extended attitude. Slight continuing inertial motion in a leg-extending direction thereupon throws the toggle members 22 slightly beyond center,ror beyond the co-linear attitude, so that as a limit stop ange 51 projecting transversely from the lower side of the toggle crank 41 is abutted'by the adjacent portion of the toggle arm 43, the two toggle members are slightly cocked, or at a slight condition of angularity, as appears most clearly in Figure 5. With the toggle members in this beyond-center attitude, downward pressure on the table top serves to lock the toggle members even more securely. Laterally inward force on the leg 16 produces a comparable effect; and, since laterally outward force on the leg 16 is resisted by reason of the presence of the apron 9 and the bracket 38, the table legs are especially firm and secure against random blows and other forces. Owing, however, to the transverse limit kstop 51 which projects laterally from the toggle arm 41 far enough to enable the users fingers conveniently to grasp it or push against it, the toggle members can easily be urged cti? center in the opposite and leg-folding direction when it is desired to fold the legs.

The toggle members are swung from folded position to extended position by rotation of the cross bar 31, the cross bar 31 being rotated, in turn, by the turning effort exerted by a crank 56 mounted securely on the bar 31 adjacent one of the brackets 32. As shown most clearly in Figures 2 and 3, the crank 56 is, like the toggle member 41, mounted normal to the axis 36 of the bar 31, and is angularly displaced from the toggle member by only a slight amount, perhaps or less.

The crank 56 is rotated by a link 57 pivotally mounted on the free end of the crank 56, as by a pin 58, the

overlapping portions of the crank and link being held in place by a nut 59. Since the link 57 and the crank 56 not only move in a plane normal to the bar axis 36 but the link 57 moves laterally with respect to the crank 56, the nut is formed to assume a halfball or knuckle joint coniiguration, as appears most obviously in Figure l, the portion of the link 57 adjacent the nut being hollowed out or chamfered to conform with the knuckle.

The link 57 is itself moved by a rocker arm 61, the link being mounted on the rocker arm with considerable freedom of motion, i. e., both laterally and in rotation, owing to the provision of a knuckle-joint or beveled nut 62 and pin 63 (quite similar in construction to the nut 59) and shown most clearly in Figure 3. The rocker arm 61 is pivotally mounted as by a pin 66 centrally located on the member 11 and rotatable in a plane parallel to the table top.

The rocker arm 61, as shown in Figure 1, comprises an upper portion 71 as well as a lower portion 72, to which lower portion 72 the link 57 is connected. The

upper portion 71 swings in an equal angular amount but lin the opposite direction with respect to the lower portion 72. Since, as mentioned above, the mechanism on the right-hand side is substantially identical to that on Y the left-hand side, it is obvious that motion of the upper portion 71 of the rocker arm 61 is transmitted to the right hand pair of legs through a series of mechanisms and in a manner altogether comparable with those hereinbefore described.

The only significant variance between the right-hand and left-hand sides is the placement of the legs. Each of the legs of the left-hand leg, pair 16, as shown in Figure 1, is displaced upwardly from the corresponding or adjacent leg of the right-hand leg pair 76. While the displacement does not detract either from the `sturdiness or the appearance of the table it does produce a slightly differing distance 81 between the leg and cross rail end at one end of the cross rail and longer distance 82 at the opposite end thereof. However, the distance 81 and the greater distance "82 are symmetrically disposed in diagonal fashion and the adjacent arms of the brackets 27 and 2S, respectively, are suitably dimensioned to accord with the two variant dir tances so as to give full limit-stop eiect.

lt can therefore be seen that all four of the table legs are so interconnected and interlinked that movement of any one of the components is transmitted to all of the others. ln operation, the user ordinarily places the table on one of its edges, for example, the bottom edge S6 shown in Figure l, and with the bottom side shown facing away from the users body. A right-handed person would then ordinarily insert his hand between the upper leg (of theV leg pair i6) and the table top and thrust the leg away from the table top. The thrust is transmitted to and down the cross rail 17 to the lower leg (of the leg pair 16) which swings outwardly, and unfolds the toggle members 22, causing them to assume the over-center and locked position shown in Figures 3 and 5. Concurrently, as the toggle crank 41 is `swung open the toggle crank 41 exerts a torsional or turning effort on the cross bar 31 which, in turn, rotates the crank 56, pulls on the link 57 and -rocks the rocker arm lower portion 72 to the position shown in outline yin Figure l. The upper rocker arm portion 71 is thereby swung through its corresponding are, and its yeffort exerted through intermediate similar mechanism to cause opening and locking of the other leg pair 76. While somewhat lengthy to describe, so slight is the friction between the parts and so advantageous are the leverages shown that with but slight eiort even a child can swing all four table legs outwardly in a matter of a second or two.

In comparably convenient and effortless fashion, tripping of out one of the toggle members is sufficient to unlock all of the toggles, or diagonal brace members, permitting the user, by swinging inwardly only one of the table legs, to snap all of them shut or into folded position in the space of a second or two.

It can therefore be seen that l have provided a card `table which is not only sturdy, -self-locking and well braced, but which also enables the user Ito open or close all legs in unison, with very little effort, yet with great rapidity.

What is claimed is:

A folding card table comprising a quadrilateral top, a plurality of pairs of legs, a pair of rails each connecting together the legs of one of said pairs, means for hinging said pairs of legs to :the lower side of said top to swing from a iirst position substantially parallel to said top to a second position substantially normal to said top, each of said legs being approximately as long as a side of said quadrilateral top and said legs of said pairs being interspersed when in said rst position, a pair of bars rotatably mounted on the lower side of said top and extending partially between said legs in said first position and said top, a plurality of pairs of toggle members, each pair of said toggle members being connected to one of said legs and to an adjacent end of one of said bars in a location between said top and said one leg in said first position, a pair of crank arms, one crank arm of said pair being disposed on each of said bars and said crank arms being directed toward each other in said first position, a rocker arm extending approximately coplanar with and entirely between the central ones of said interspersed legs `in said iirst position, means for pivoting the central por tion of said rocker arm to said top, and links connected to the opposite ends of said rocker arm and to respective ones of said crank arms.

References Cited 'm the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,451,846 Robinson Apr. 17, 1923 l 1,916,288 Symmondson l July 4, 1933 .1,980,450 Symmondson Nov. 13, 1934 2,213,681 Symmondson Sept. 3, 1940 2,703,741 Pucci Mar. 8, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 635,618 Great Britain A131212, 1950 

